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Thread: Hello from Calgary, Canada

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    Junior Member JMueller's Avatar
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    Talking Hello from Calgary, Canada

    Hello Gents! I just wanted to introduce myself, I'm new to the straight and DE shaving world, having just bought a Merkur 43C DE, and a Dovo 5/8 straight.

    I want to thank you guys for all the information that you all have put here, it's been instrumental in helping me choose the right stuff to get started with.

    Now, I haven't used the straight yet, as it's still in shipping, but the Merkur DE is a beautiful piece. I've only shaved with it twice so far, and it's a real treat to look at and to hold. Has really nice weight.

    The only issue I've had so far is razor burn. I've tried both the Merkur blade and an Astra blade, and both have given me some pretty bad burn, mostly on my upper lip. I'm a long time multi-blade shaver, and haven't had razor burn like this in years. I was planning on changing blades again to try the feather that a lot of folks seem to like, but I'm going to assume im doing something wrong too.

    Any suggestion as to what I might be doing wrong? I'm trying to use as close to zero pressure as I can remember to do, letting the heft of the razor do the cutting, and trying to figure out the best angles. Also, it seems to be that I get the burn on my second pass, which has been a ATG pass, the same as I would do with my multi blade razor, but it never burned me.

    Thanks everyone, appreciate your thoughts on the matter.

    -Jeff
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    Truth is weirder than any fiction.. Grazor's Avatar
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    Welcome Jeff. The feather is a very sharp blade and might not be a good choice while you learn if you are already getting razor burn. Holding the handle further away from the blade helps reduce pressure.
    Last edited by Grazor; 01-02-2015 at 08:51 PM.
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    Senior Member blabbermouth engine46's Avatar
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    Hi & welcome to SRP. You will love it here & there is plenty to learn as there is a wealth of information on here! Here is the first bit of information for you to know:
    Straight Razor Place - Beginners Tips: December 2014
    Frequently Asked Questions - Straight Razor Place Library
    You will want to buy you a nice straight razor to begin with whether used or new. Beware of used ones not that they are bad but know what to look for like a lot of hone wear on the spine & edge or chips in the blade. Stay away from razors with rust on the cutting edge as that will only result in it chipping more metal off as it is honed. Here is also a list of straights to stay away from:
    Brands of Straight Razors to Avoid - Straight Razor Place Library
    Here is a list of good brands of razors you will want to own plus there are more than just these out there which you will find out from other members here:
    Good Straight Razor Brands - Straight Razor Place Library
    If buying a new razor, I suggest you buy one from Straight Razor Designs - Gifts for Men | Straight Razors or SRD. The owner & founder of this forum is Lynn & he is also part owner of SRD. When you buy a straight razor from him, he will personally hone that razor before you get it plus you will get a certificate for another free honing for when that razor needs it which should be a few months. There will be vendors who will sell you a straight razor that is supposed to be shave ready but really won't be. You will most importantly need to know how to strop & you can learn in the Library or here:
    Razor stropping - Straight Razor Place Library
    You will need to strop your razor before & after you shave. If you buy one from Lynn, chances are you won’t have to strop it before you use it the first time.
    You will also need a shaving brush, a shaving mug & some shaving soap. Later it will also do you good to get a second straight razor so that when you send the first one out to be honed, you will have a backup to shave with.
    Here is a link to the Library where you will find stropping in there & everything else you will need to know including how to hone:
    Beginner's Guide to Honing - Straight Razor Place Library
    Also here is Lynns bevel setting video & some of gssixguns honing video's:
    https://www.youtube.com/user/gssixgun/videos
    Bevel setting on a Chosera 1K taught by Lynn Abrams
    Here is another good link to know:
    Welcome to the Workshop: How do I / Where do I / What do I / answers are here
    Should you have any questions, there are a lot of knowledgable members on here that will be more than happy to help you out. If you want to find someone in your area, you can look here:
    Local Help - Straight Razor Place Library
    And if you can't find anyone near you, just ask and someone that lives in your are & hopefully they will let you know how to meet up & you can get some one on one mentoring. There is a lot to do on here, just search everywhere on the forum & in the Library. You will spend hours on here & have fun doing it, so there you go, have at it!
    Good luck & have fun!
    Steve

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    Senior Member blabbermouth engine46's Avatar
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    Hi
    If you tried any links in my first message, some of them weren't working because I think they made some changes. I fixed them all now!
    Anthony1954 likes this.

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    Senior Member blabbermouth eddy79's Avatar
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    Hi and welcome. There is a learning cure and you will find angle, Pressure and Skin stretching plays a big part of the shave. Good luck finding what works best for you
    engine46 likes this.
    My wife calls me......... Can you just use Ed

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    Senior Member TrilliumLT's Avatar
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    Pressure, Prep, and Angle. Tell us about you pre shave route.

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    Junior Member JMueller's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TrilliumLT View Post
    Pressure, Prep, and Angle. Tell us about you pre shave route.
    Pre Shave and shaving routine:
    Hot Shower
    Hot Towel while brush soaks and warms up
    Apply ęshave pre shave oil
    Lather ęshave shaving cream in bowl
    Apply to face with brush
    Shave WTG
    Rinse face, re lather with cream
    Shave ATG
    Rinse face
    Clean razor, bowl, brush etc
    Apply AS balm

    -Jeff
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    Senior Member Raol's Avatar
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    Hello and welcome Neighbour.
    The double edge razor and a bit too much pressure can easily take a layer of skin off if to give razor burn.
    I always suggest that the first pass be looked at as just to take off the shave soap and nothing more.
    The second pass can be a bit tighter but still very light.
    Maybe we should meet up sometime and review your technique?
    S.L.A.M.,.......SHAVE LIKE A MAN!!!
    Not like a G.I.R.L. (Gentleman In Razor Limbo)

  9. The Following User Says Thank You to Raol For This Useful Post:

    JMueller (01-04-2015)

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    Senior Member blabbermouth RezDog's Avatar
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    Welcome to the forum. Looking above I see you are well taken care of. Enjoy!
    It's not what you know, it's who you take fishing!

  11. #10
    Junior Member JMueller's Avatar
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    Thanks Raol, I appreciate the offer, and will take you up on it when we get a bit further into January when life settles back into routine around the house.

    When I shave again I'll try to watch the pressure more closely, my shave yesterday evening went OK, but I only did 1 WTG pass, so I'll try a 2 pass again this time.

    And thanks to everyone for the warm welcome, and the continued advice, I really appreciate it!

    -Jeff

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